Tacking strip



H. SCHNEIDER May 4, 1965 TAGKING STRIP Filed March 28, 1962 INVEN TOR.

flerZeri 56%: 2% 7 A TTORNEKQ',

United States Patent 0 3,181,598 TACKING STRIP Herbert Schneider, Dusseldorf-Holthausen, Germany,

assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Metal Products Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 183,211 2 Claims. (Cl. 160403) This invention relates to tacking strip, particularly to a tacking strip for securing a trim fabric to a frame of a cushion.

It has been difficult in the past to attach fabric covering material to frames for upholstering a seat or back cushion of furniture as individual tacks were employed requiring skilled labor which involved tedious and time consuming work. The present invention overcomes this difficulty by the use of a U-shaped strip of sheet metal which is fastened to the frame to serve as attaching means for securing the fabric covering. One leg of the U- shaped strips is employed for securing the strip to the face of the frame to be upholstered. This may be accomplished by providing holes in the securing leg for nails or the leg may be secured by adhesive or other means to the cushion frame elements. The other leg of the strip is provided with saw teeth which are spaced from the other leg and to which the fabric is secured. The upholstered fabric is first placed over the padding of the cushion with the four edges extending downwardly over the four sides of the frame members. Thereafter the edges of the fabric are secured to the teeth of the adjacent strips so that all four sides of the fabric are secured by the teeth. Thereafter the teeth are depressed against the securing leg by hammering or the applica tion of pressure means which thereby draws the fabric material taut over the cushion area of the seat or back frame.

Since one or more sides of the frames may be curved, it is necessary to bend a U-shaped strip to conform to the curved side. To permit such bending, spaced V- shaped notches are provided in both of the legs in offset relation to each other so that the legs and the web portion therebetween may be bent to have the strip conform to the shape of each of the curved frame members of the seat or back cushion frame. The sharp teeth of the outer legs are uniformly spaced on the leg portions between the notches so that they -will follow the shape of the frame element to which the strip is attached. It is desirable to locate the notches between the teeth sections approximately the same spacing as the ones in the attaching leg so as to permit the strip to be more readily bent. It was found more advantageous to have the notches in the attaching leg disposed in staggered relation to those between the teeth sections to avoid weakening the strip. The notches may be recessed laterally to provide fingers which may be secured by staples to secure the stripon a frame.

Accordingly, the main objects of the invention are: to provide an attaching strip for upholstering material which is of U shape having one leg provided with means for securing the strip to a frame member of a cushion and the other leg having teeth extended outwardly therefrom; to provide a U-shaped strip having an attaching leg and a leg having securing teeth with both legs provided with spaced offset notches which permit the strip to be bent to conform to the shape of a frame member; to provide notches in both legs of a U-shaped strip to permit the strip to be bent to a desired shape and with teeth on the outermost leg of the strip to which the upholstering material is secured and drawn taut when the teeth containing web is bent against the attached inner leg; and

3,181,598 Patented May 4, 1965 in general, to provide a securing strip for upholstering material which is simple in construction, which may be shaped in the profile of the frame element to which it is to be secured and which is economical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of the novelty of the invention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of the invention, to the following description taken in conjunction With the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a securing strip embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1 with the teeth in position to receive the trim material;

FIG. 3 is a view of structure similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1, showing another form of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2 with the teeth in closed position for stretching the trim material.

Referrin to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the attach-ing strip 10 is made of sheet metal formed into U shape with the inner leg 11 provided with nail holes 12 by which the inner leg 11 is secured to the side of a frame member of a cushion. Spaced along the inner leg 11 are V- shaped notches 13 cut inwardly from the outer edge thereof. The V-shaped notches permit the bending of the leg to facilitate the shaping of the strip to a profile which corresponds to the frame member to which it is secured. The web 15 of the strip extends at right angle to the inner leg 11 from the outer edge of which a leg 14 extends substantially parallel to the inner leg 11. V- shaped notches 17 extend into the leg 14 and the web 15 to facilitate bending of the strip in the plane of the web. Spaced teeth are provided in the leg 14 formed by notches extending inwardly from the sections of the leg remaining between the notches 17. The teeth are curved inwardly toward the inner leg 11 to more readily penetrate into the trim material when the material is drawn thereover. After four sides of the frame have had lengths of the strip 16 applied thereto, the four edges of the trim material are drawn thereover to have the teeth secure the four edges of the material in secured relation along the four edges of the frame. In this relation the strip is in the form illustrated in FIG. 2 and when the web 15 is bent downwardly to have the teeth 16 substantially engage the leg 11 as illustrated in FIG. 4, the trim material is stretched taut across the top of the cushion in firm fixed relation thereto.

In FIG. 3 a strip ma is illustrated which is similar to strip 10 of FIG. 1 with the exception that the notches 13 have cutout portions 18 each side thereof providing fingers which may be secured by staples. The cutout portions permit the strips to be secured by staples in place of the nails and by an adhesive material which may flow thereover to more firmly secure the strip to the face of the frame members.

What is claimed is:

1. A securing strip having a web, a first leg extending angularly from said Web and having means thereon by which the strip is attached to a frame member, a second leg extending angularly from said web and having teeth therein for receiving a fabric material which is to be secured thereby, said first leg having notches therein extending substantially to the line of juncture of said first leg and said Web, said second leg and said web having notches therein extending substantially to the line of juncture of said first leg and said web, said notches in said first leg being in ofiset relation to said notches in said second leg and said web and dividing said legs into sections of substantially equal length with the sections of one leg in offset relation to the sections of the other leg.

2. A' securing strip as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first leg is provided with cutout portions extending from said notches to provide fingers over which a staple may be driven.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 794,385 V 7/05 Wright 160402 X 1,073,016 9/13 Avery 160403 1,147,287 7/15 Wettengel 160371 FOREIGN PATENTS 12/35 Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. LAWRENCE CHARLES Examiner. 

1. A SECURING STRIP HAVING A WEB, A FIRST LEG EXTENDING ANGULARLY FROM SAID WEB AND HAVING MEANS THEREON BY WHICH THE STRIP IS ATTACHED TO A FRAME MEMBER, A SECOND LEG EXTENDING ANGULARLY FROM SAID WEB AND HAVING TEETH THEREIN FOR RECEIVING A FABRIC MATERIAL WHICH IS TO BE SECURED THEREBY, SAID FIRST LEG HAVING NOTCHES THEREIN EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE LINE OF JUNCTURE OF SAID FIRST LEG AND SAID WEB, SAID SECOND LEG AND SAID WEB HAVING NOTCHES THEREIN EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE LINE OF JUNCTURE OF SAID FIRST LEG AND SAID WEB, SAID NOTCHES IN SAID FIRST LEG BEING IN OFFSET RELATION TO SAID NOTCHES IN SAID SECOND LEG AND SAID WEB AND DIVIDING SAID LEGS INTO SECTIONS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTH WITH THE SECTIONS OF ONE LEG IN OFFSET RELATION TO THE SECTIONS OF THE OTHER LEG. 